Willow.



PATBNTED JULY 3, 1906. 0. SGHOFIBLD. WILLOW. APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1905.

CHARLES SGHOFIELD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WILLOW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed July 26,1905. Serial No. 271,326.

To (@ZZ whom it may concern.

Pivotally mounted upon the same stud as Be it known thatI, CHARLEs SCHOFIELD, a the pinion 2 is a lever comprising two arms 5 citizen of the United States,residing in Philaand 6, the arm 0 delphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in \Villows, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of certain improvements in the willow for which I have secured previous Letters Patent, No. 675,248, dated May 28, 1901, and No. 772,831, dated October 19, 1904, the object of my present invention being to permit of a quicker opening of the delivery-door and inlet-valve of the willow than was effected in the patented machines to prevent accidental opening of the same and to permit of the retention of the door and valve in the open position for any desired length. of time independently of the action of a cam, which under ordinary circumstances governs their movements. These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of suflicient of a willow to illustrate my present invention, the parts being shown in the positions assumed by them when the delivery-door and inletvalve are closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in the positions assumed by them when the delivery-door and inletvalve are open; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing detached from each other cer tain of the devices whereby the operation of the door and valve are effected.

The fiber feeding and beating devices, the blast mechanism, and the belts, pulleys, and gearing for operating the same may be simi lar to those of either of the former machines, and as these parts constitute no portion of my present invention reference to them here will be unnecessary.

Turning on a stud projecting from the casing 1 of the machine is a pinion 2, driven from any other available gear member of the machine and meshing with a spur-wheel 8, which has on its outer face a cam-flange 4, the latter having in the present instance two high runs and two low runs, both concentric with the aXis of the spurwheel 3, so as to provide for two operations of the deliverydoor and inlet-valve on each rotation of said spurwheel, although it should be understood that my invention is not'limited to a cam flange of this character, the latter being shaped to accord with any desired operation of said door and valve,

having mounted upon its free end an antifriction-roller 7 which travels in contact with the cam-flange 4, and the arm 6 having pivoted to its free end the up per end of a rod 9, whose lower end is pivoted to one arm of a lever 10, secured to the axial shaft of the delivery-door 11 of the ma chine, (shown by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2,) the other arm of said lever 10 having pivotal connection with the lower end of a rod 12, whose upper end is pivotally COIlIlc'CtLd. to the valve 13, whereby an air-inlet to the interior of the casing 1 is provided whenever the delivery-door 11 is open.

In the normal operation of the machine the spur-wheel 3 and its cam-flange 4 rotate in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1. Hence it will be noted that the action of the camflange upon the mechanism described has the effect of closing the delivery-door 11 and inlet-valve 13 and locking the same in the closed position against the weight of the delivery-door and of the load of fibers pressing against the same, which, however, tends to cause said delivery-door to drop quickly as soon as a low portion of the cam-flange 4 comes within the range of the antifrictionroller 7. By this me ans quick opening of the delivery-door and inlet-valve and a quick discharge of the contents of the willow are provided for; but accidental opening is prevented, whereas in the former machines the opening of these parts was caused by the action of a cam, the delivery-door being counterweighted in order to insure the closing of the same, so that instead of a quick opening and a relatively slow closing there was a quick closing and a relatively slow opening.

It sometimes becomes advisable to permit the delivery-door and inlet-valve to remain open for a longer period than would be permitted by the extent of either low portion of the cam-flange I, and for this reason I use the two part lever 5 6, these two parts of the lever being so constructed that while they are rigid or incapable of independent movement in one direction they can be flexed or bent in the opposite direction, this result being effected by providing each part of the lever with a projecting shoulder 14, normally in contact with each other and normally looking the two parts of the lever against any independent movement in that direction in which they are moved by the action of the Fig. 2, so that its antifriction-roller is free' from the-influence of the cam-flange 4 and can be retained in this position as long as may be desirable, the arm being swung backward when it is again desired to place the door and valve under the control of the cam. This possibility of fiexure of the arms of the lever in one direction also prevents injury or accident tothe parts which might be caused if a careless or ignorant attendant should permit rotation of the spur-wheel 3 and its cam-flange 4 in a direction the reverse of that indicated by the arrow.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of the delivery-door of a willow pivoted to cause a preponderance of weight on one side of the pivotal axis which tends to normally open the door, a rotatable cam, and means whereby said cam is caused to close the delivery-door, and retain the same in the closed position.

2. The combination of the delivery-door of a willow pivoted to cause a preponderance of weight on one side of the ivotal axis which tends to normally open t e door, an air inlet valve connected to said deliverydoor so as to open simultaneously therewith, a rotatable cam, and means whereby said cam is caused to close the delivery-door and air-inlet valve, and retain the same in the closed position.

3. The combination of the delivery-door of a willow, a cam for operating the same, and intermediate motion-transmitting devices having as an element, a two-armed lever, whose arms are rigid against independent movement in one direction but can bend in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES SCHOFIELD.

Witnesses:

' WM. BROWN, Jr.,

WM. E. SHUPE. 

